Brighton & Hove has been named as one of 119 cities across the globe to receive a top score for climate action by the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project).
The CDP is a leading independent assessor of local government climate action offering cities guidance towards net zero and helping focus efforts to accelerate climate action.
This year, the CDP scored over 900 cities around the world, graded from A to D-. A List cities demonstrate climate leadership through concerted and effective environmental action and take four times as many mitigation and adaptation measures as non-A List cities
How cities are scored
To receive an A score from CDP, a city must have published a climate action plan and have a city-emissions inventory. It must also complete a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and have a climate adaptation goal to demonstrate how it will tackle climate hazards.
Carbon Neutral 2030
Our score is underpinned by the council’s Carbon Neutral 2030 programme, which was launched in 2021. The programme brings together our ambitious but necessary goal of carbon neutrality with actions to reduce emissions, restore nature, and help the city adapt to a changing climate.
We recently published the Carbon Neutral 2030 Programme Annual Report 2022-23.
Progress to date
Climate and biodiversity action has been embedded into services across the council since we declared a climate and biodiversity emergency in 2018.
Recent projects and initiatives that will help us tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies include:
- Installing 350 electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the city and 3 on-street rapid charging hubs for taxis
- Completing an award-winning development of 42 energy-efficient council homes at Victoria Road in Portslade featuring ground source heat pumps, solar panels and high levels of insulation
- Purchasing 56 EVs and 4 electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) since 2022 with a further 5 on order, and we plan on converting newer HGVs to electric or hydrogen
- Introducing a new Environmentally Sustainability Procurement Policy to align our supply chain with our net zero commitments
- Rewilding a former council golf course by restoring rare fragile chalk grassland and improving habitats for wildlife, while improving access for residents and visitors
Commitment to climate action
Councillor Trevor Muten, Chair of the Transport & Sustainability Committee, said: “I’m delighted that Brighton & Hove has been named as one of CDP’s global leaders for climate action.
“This is evidence of our ongoing commitment to climate action as we continue our city-wide journey to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
“Last month, we agreed new developments to the Carbon Neutral 2030 Programme. This includes publishing a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment to understand the local impacts of climate change and developing a Decarbonisation Pathways Study to guide planning and prioritise actions to meet the challenge.
“We’ll also be exploring options to raise investment for climate action initiatives across the city and partnering with businesses, major institutions and organisations to help us reduce emissions and adapting to climate change together.”
